This Month's Latest Tech News in Jacksonville, FL - Wednesday April 30th 2025 Edition

Jacksonville's tech sector is surging in April 2025 as artificial intelligence (AI) and data center expansion drive economic and educational transformation. The city's data center capacity is set for exponential growth, with new projects like Project Orchid and the JaxNAP carrier hotel positioning Jacksonville as a premier hub for AI and cloud computing, fueled by a critical need for up to 500 MW of power in the coming years.

The Florida Workforce Initiative is actively bridging the digital skills gap by promoting broadband-related job training for residents, reflecting the state's urgent need for over 20,000 new workers to achieve universal broadband connectivity; as Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr.

stated,

“Florida is leading the nation in talent development because our colleges continue to adapt their programs to meet workforce needs.”

Meanwhile, local institutions such as Florida Tech are advancing public-private partnerships and STEM education to meet this demand, underscoring the region's momentum.

Nationally, energy constraints, AI-related infrastructure slowdowns, and legal challenges are shaping the data center landscape, but Jacksonville's connectivity, workforce focus, and innovation stand out.

For a deeper dive into this workforce initiative, see Florida's Workforce Initiative for Broadband Equity.

Explore Jacksonville's data center market surge in Jacksonville's Data Center Expansion Driven by AI, and get the national context from industry trends in April 2025 Data Center Rundown.

The city's push for inclusive growth in both infrastructure and talent signals a pivotal year ahead.

Jacksonville-based Duos Technologies Group is rapidly strengthening the region's tech leadership by steering a significant expansion of edge data centers - purpose-built to deliver advanced AI-enabled computing to underserved communities nationwide.

Through major partnerships with infrastructure leaders like Accu-Tech, Duos Edge AI is deploying scalable Edge Data Centers (EDCs) within 12 miles of end users, ensuring low-latency services for sectors like education and healthcare.

This effort is especially impactful in places like rural Texas, where Duos Edge AI's local data hubs are bridging the digital divide in schools and supporting real-time AI applications for agricultural and public safety needs.

According to Doug Recker, President of Duos Edge AI,

“Bringing these EDCs online ahead of schedule is a milestone for Duos Edge AI and demonstrates our dedication to equipping remote communities with the infrastructure they need to thrive.”

The approach replaces costly, centralized connectivity with pods offering rapid 90-day deployment and robust onsite compute (100 kW+ per cabinet).

The company's forward momentum includes plans to activate 15 new EDCs in Texas by year's end and expand into other rural markets, as detailed in their recent acquisition and project updates.

The quick growth is poised to double staff at the Jacksonville headquarters and attract large manufacturers drawn by the promise of local AI compute power. This initiative sets Jacksonville at the forefront of a national movement to democratize AI and data access beyond metropolitan hubs.

The University of Florida is accelerating Jacksonville's transformation into a tech and biomedical hub with the launch of a pioneering master's degree in Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical and Health Sciences - the first program of its kind in Florida.

Set to welcome students in Fall 2025 at a newly renovated $7 million facility in LaVilla, this initiative is part of a broader $300 million downtown redevelopment that includes the Florida Semiconductor Institute and will soon host additional programs from engineering to law.

Local government and private partners have committed over $250 million to this 25-acre campus, projected to serve 1,500 graduate students and generate 250 permanent jobs by 2030.

The campus will initially operate out of the historic Interline Brands building, with city-council-backed land arrangements and further expansion planned. UF's strategy integrates hands-on AI upskilling for biomedical practitioners, driving workforce-readiness and fostering partnerships with local health and tech sectors, while the related doctoral research fellowships and newly published AI advances reflect the institution's commitment to healthcare innovation.

As Councilmember Matt Carlucci states, the

campus will attract new high-tech businesses focusing on the available workforce in Jacksonville.

Key highlights and projected impacts are summarized below:

Metric	Value by 2030
Enrolled Graduate Students	1,500
Permanent Campus Jobs	250
Total Investment	$300 million+

Learn more about the AI-biomedical degree and facility plans at UF Jacksonville, details of the campus expansion and economic impact, and the university's cutting-edge biomedical AI research fellowship program.

Jacksonville schools are entering a new era of campus safety with the deployment of AI-powered security cameras designed to enhance protection and provide rapid alerts in emergencies.

Supported by a $115,000 school safety grant, this initiative equips existing campus cameras with advanced artificial intelligence capable of identifying weapons - including pistols, rifles, and shotguns - and notifying a designated response team within seconds when a potential threat is detected.

As Jacksonville Police Chief Marcus Wood explains,

“Whether it's a pistol, rifle, shotgun, anything that the system recognizes as what we think would be dangerous and harmful to the campus. Within seconds it will send a notification to all of those on that notification list and help us to better respond.”

The system operates as an extra set of eyes for school resource officers, covering nearly every corner of school grounds and providing added peace of mind to parents and staff.

Funding from the grant will also upgrade communication devices and support future AI safety projects, underlining a commitment to leveraging technology for safer schools.

For a detailed breakdown of the program's features and its community impact, see WBRC's report on Jacksonville Police's AI safety enhancements, a comprehensive overview from AITECHTREND's coverage of Jacksonville's AI school security initiative, and further discussion by school security experts at CoSN 2025's panel on AI-backed physical security tools.

Keene Lane Co., a certified Canva Agency Partner, is collaborating with local organizations to deliver custom Canva masterclasses focused on empowering Jacksonville's small businesses, women, and minority entrepreneurs to advance in the AI-driven digital economy.

This partnership aligns with the momentum from Canva Create 2025 AI sessions, which spotlighted how AI creativity and collaboration can unlock equity and lifelong learning across diverse communities.

At the event, leaders like Canva CEO Melanie Perkins and Anthropic's Daniela Amodei emphasized the importance of building “AI with values” to foster trust and inclusivity:

“Building AI with values creates a stronger foundation for trust… the future belongs to the curious - those ready to grow and learn alongside the tech.”

Canva's new AI-powered tools - highlighted by features such as automated content ideation and design - have helped global brands and local teams boost both productivity and upskilling, as shown in the table below:

Company	% of Projects AI-Initiated (2023)	Yearly Productivity Gains
Dropbox (SEO)	70% (up from <20%)	900+ hours saved
Coca-Cola (Creative)	80-90%	Accelerated workflows, improved results

Canva's AI-first approach supports over 180 million users - 90% of Fortune 500 companies among them - while offering transparency, strong privacy controls, and ethical innovation.

As these collaborative efforts and masterclasses help elevate underrepresented groups in Jacksonville, resources like the Canva Create Content Hub remain a vital source for staying ahead in the fast-evolving AI landscape.

Brooke Curry, a Jacksonville teenager and daughter of the former mayor, has become an outspoken advocate for deepfake law reform in Florida following her own traumatic experience with AI-generated image abuse.

At age 16, a manipulated and sexually explicit deepfake of Brooke, created from an innocent Instagram photo and circulated on Snapchat, left her feeling "scared, embarrassed, and angry," as she later told News4JAX's report on deepfake legislation in Florida.

Her ordeal - compounded by the absence of an immediate recourse for removal - spurred the introduction and, as of late April, the unanimous passage of "Brooke's Law" by the Florida legislature, now awaiting Governor DeSantis's signature.

The bill requires internet platforms to swiftly remove deepfake photos upon victims' request and to establish a clear takedown policy by the end of 2025, with enforcement under the Florida Unfair Trade and Deceptive Practices Act.

The measure addresses a troubling digital landscape, with lawmakers pointing out that "99% of deepfake images target women and 98% are pornographic" (Florida Politics article on Brooke's Law's impact).

While primarily creating a civil remedy, experts and victims' advocates note Brooke's Law is an important step, especially as it aligns with a broader national push for accountability - such as the federal "Take It Down Act" moving through Congress.

As summarized by the Miami Herald editorial on new deepfake legislation, the legislation means platforms will have just 48 hours to take down disputed content, offering victims new tools even as experts urge for robust support and potential criminal measures.

Brooke's courage to share her story has empowered others to speak out:

“Before this, I tried my best not to talk about what happened to me... But now, seeing all the positive messages and different stories I'm hearing, I'm so happy I spoke out.”

UF Health Jacksonville and Baptist Health are at the forefront of a national trend empowering nurses through artificial intelligence, with pilot programs underway to streamline documentation and optimize patient care.

Baptist Health, in collaboration with Microsoft and Epic Systems, is testing voice-activated ambient AI technology that lets nurses record notes securely via smartphone using Epic's Rover app, which then pre-populates electronic health records in real time - reducing manual entry and giving nurses more time at the bedside.

Early feedback is promising: pilot nurse Erin Corbett shared,

“I can deliver even better care to my patients now. It's a user-friendly tool where I can input important information about the patient in real-time while I am in the patient's room.”

This initiative addresses urgent workforce challenges, as the World Health Organization predicts a shortage of 4.5 million nurses by 2030.

According to recent market scans on AI advances reducing the burden on nurses, nurses typically spend 132 minutes per 12-hour shift on documentation - AI solutions could cut that time significantly.

Across the country, over 300 health systems are deploying similar features, with pilots at Jacksonville's Baptist Health, Stanford, and Mayo Clinic. For greater local accountability and safety, Epic plans to launch an AI validation software suite enabling healthcare systems to monitor and validate performance by demographics and workflows.

As Baptist Health's leadership emphasizes involving nurses in technology development, ensuring solutions address real needs and foster satisfaction - setting Jacksonville's health sector apart in embracing AI for efficient, patient-centered care.

Jacksonville policymakers and innovators are closely monitoring the ongoing national debate over AI fairness and bias, as Congress weighs how to promote technological leadership while addressing societal risks.

This month's hearings on Capitol Hill tackled critical issues - including massive growth in AI-driven data center energy demand, the need for a resilient power grid, and regulatory choices that will shape future innovation.

Lawmakers such as Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) emphasized the urgent need for reliable and affordable electricity to serve AI's industrial-scale needs, pressing witnesses on the true costs and reliability challenges of renewable versus dispatchable energy sources (Congresswoman Fedorchak's Energy & Commerce hearing).

At the same time, industry experts highlighted how delays in permitting, supply chain constraints, and workforce shortages could stall both AI adoption and equitable economic gains, with data centers already accounting for 4.4% of U.S. energy use and projected to reach up to 12% by 2028 (House subcommittee transcript on the economics of AI data centers).

As Jacksonville frames its own policies in the context of fairness and opportunity, these national discussions underscore that AI's benefits - improved government efficiency, economic growth, and advanced public services - must be balanced with safeguards for privacy, environmental sustainability, and social equity.

As Eric Schmidt stated during the House's full committee hearing,

“We have to have energy in all forms, renewable and non-renewable... We don't have a choice.”

For a deeper dive, see the comprehensive summary of congressional testimony on how these choices may reshape America's innovation landscape and global competitiveness (US Lawmakers Probe AI's Role in Energy and Climate).

As Jacksonville's logistics and manufacturing sectors modernize, artificial intelligence (AI) is proving vital for streamlining supply chains, boosting efficiency, and addressing worker shortages.

Companies are leveraging AI tools for warehouse automation, logistics management, and procurement to stay competitive amidst ongoing disruptions and evolving global trade dynamics.

Modern supply chains now integrate robotics, IoT, blockchain, and predictive analytics - enabling real-time route optimization, enhanced risk management, and digital twins for factory workflow simulation.

Yet, a significant skills gap persists: 51% of organizations lack adequate AI talent, and there are over 800,000 unfilled manufacturing roles nationwide. To close this gap, workforce development initiatives such as free online courses for in-demand manufacturing jobs - including data annotation, manufacturing analytics, and AR/VR integration - have launched, providing flexible, self-paced upskilling opportunities accessible to all.

“Manufacturing is facing huge worker and skills shortages... Courses like those we're launching with CAPITAL are essential to ensuring a competitive and innovative manufacturing economy.” - Angela Accurso, Director of Workforce Programs, MxD Learn

Local educational institutions like the University of North Florida (UNF) are also leading innovation by partnering in international AI logistics consortia, bringing global advancements to Jacksonville's industries.

For professionals looking to reskill, programs such as the AI Workforce Development Program offer structured, hands-on learning for IT and operational leaders.

A rapid breakdown of key AI-driven supply chain solutions and reskilling offerings is summarized below:

AI Impact Area	Application Example	Skills Training
Warehouse Automation	Robotics, IoT, predictive analytics	Manufacturing Analytics, Data Annotation
Logistics & Route Optimization	AI-driven routing, digital twins	AI Workforce Development Program
Supply Chain Security	Blockchain tracking, cybersecurity analytics	Cybersecurity Compliance/Analyst

For ongoing, industry-wide insights and best practices, visit Supply Chain Technology News.

Jacksonville's workforce has increasing access to virtual upskilling, cutting-edge academic partnerships, and smart automation, positioning the city at the forefront of logistics and manufacturing innovation.

Discover local, in-person training and AI education opportunities through events such as the FSCJ Spring 2025 Career Fair to help unlock AI's full potential across Jacksonville's frontlines.

Visa's integration of artificial intelligence into payment and shopping agent technologies is poised to transform Jacksonville's fintech and retail ecosystems.

As outlined in Visa's 2025 payment trends report, generative AI will drive advancements in customer service automation, tailored financial products, and advanced fraud protection, optimizing both user experience and operational efficiency.

Recent moves, such as Visa's intensified partnership with Nationwide, underscore this AI-driven shift: “Our ambition is to ensure Nationwide members can pay and be paid with ease, while offering the security needed to pay with peace of mind,” states Mandy Lamb, Visa's UK & Ireland Managing Director.

“We're excited to work together to deliver new ways to pay and protect our members' money, so they continue to actively choose Nationwide,”

adds Nationwide's Tom Riley, highlighting the union's focus on security, innovation, and seamless cardless transactions (see the full coverage at Visa and Nationwide's expanded payments partnership).

On the business-to-business front, Visa's collaboration with Extend aims to bring virtual cards and spend management tools to the region's small and midsize firms, capitalizing on a virtual card market expected to leap from $3.1 trillion in 2023 to $14 trillion by 2028.

According to Extend's CEO, Andrew Jamison, “Our ongoing relationship with Visa is a key pillar in our effort to deliver powerful payment technology.” The table below summarizes Visa's recent fintech initiatives:

Initiative	Impact
AI-Powered Shopping Agents	Enhanced personalization, fraud detection, and seamless payments
Virtual Card Platform with Extend	Increased B2B transaction security and automation
Nationwide Partnership Expansion	Cardless, real-time A2A payments and strengthened cybersecurity

For fintechs and retailers in Jacksonville, these innovations signal a rapidly modernizing transaction landscape - and a race to leverage AI for both consumer and business advantage, as detailed in the Visa and Extend B2B payments agreement.

As AI adoption accelerates across public relations, Jacksonville's crisis communications landscape mirrors a global trend - AI tools now empower PR leaders like Jason Mudd to monitor sentiment, anticipate threats, and streamline rapid response, but industry experts agree the human element remains irreplaceable.

Modern platforms use machine learning and natural language processing for real-time media tracking, predictive analytics, and audience segmentation, helping teams proactively spot brewing crises and craft tailored, timely messages, as detailed by IPREX's analysis of AI PR.

Still, thought leaders caution that empathy, judgment, and cultural sensitivity - such as navigating subtle emotional cues or building trusted relationships - cannot be outsourced to algorithms alone, a view echoed in Everything PR's deep dive on the limitations of AI. As one expert put it,

“We tend to be a little bit scared that PR is doomed to become fully automated, but I think that the reality is far from it. The heart of PR actually lies in our human strengths.”

Hybrid approaches are recommended: PRSA highlights strategies such as combining AI-generated scenario analysis with seasoned communicators' oversight, and new best practices include deploying dynamic AI dashboards but always reviewing content for nuance and factual accuracy.

The table below summarizes AI's most valued crisis-management functions, underscoring a future where technology augments - not replaces - PR professionals' creative and ethical leadership.

AI Capability	PR Value
Real-time sentiment/media monitoring	Early detection of PR crises
Predictive analytics	Identifying and prioritizing emerging risks
AI-assisted message drafting	Speed and consistency in public response

For a full perspective on tomorrow's crisis communications, including ethics and practical AI integration, see Zen Media's 2025 outlook on AI in PR.

As April 2025 draws to a close, Jacksonville stands as a vibrant example of inclusive, innovation-driven AI and tech growth. Local efforts - including the University of Florida Jacksonville's launch of Florida's first master's program merging artificial intelligence with biomedical sciences - demonstrate a commitment to upskill professionals and modernize healthcare through technology (UF AI-bio program launch).

Nationally, the April 2025 Executive Order “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth” accelerates AI integration into all learning stages, building equitable pathways from K-12 to workforce apprenticeships, and prioritizing underserved communities and teacher training (Executive Order: AI education initiative).

These bold changes reflect a collaborative spirit - seen in AI incubator grants for educators at institutions like UNF and the diverse Leadership Jacksonville Class of 2025, with Gracie Simendinger affirming:

“The Leadership Jacksonville Class of 2025 is made up of an outstanding group of leaders. They are respectful, eager to learn, and committed to servant leadership. I look forward to their upcoming program year as they work together to challenge their own and each other's perspectives, and explore Jacksonville's toughest challenges, treasured assets and numerous opportunities.”

For those ready to join this transformation, programs like the Nucamp Cybersecurity, Web Development, and Full Stack bootcamps offer flexible, up-to-date training and ample scholarship opportunities for women, high school graduates, and veterans (Nucamp tech scholarships and bootcamps).

With federal, local, and community momentum, Jacksonville's AI acceleration signals a more inclusive and future-ready 2025.